The popular Nokia 3310 feature phone finally has an LTE-compatible version in the works, and it has made its way through Chinese certification authority TENAA. The TENAA listing for the LTE-equipped Nokia 3310 shows off a phone that is visually identical to existing versions of the Nokia 3310 (2017) but is set apart by the inclusion of compatibility with some 4G LTE bands. These mostly consist of the TD-LTE bands used in eastern markets, most likely to accommodate the fact that many of these markets have entirely shuttered the 2G and 3G bands that other versions of the Nokia 3310 (2017) run on.
Thus far, no details about the LTE version of the phone have been officially announced. This variant, by nature, uses a more advanced, and thus more expensive, networking chipset than its 2G and 3G brethren. This means that the price will be a bit higher, but it’s hard to say exactly by how much. In the United States, the basic version costs about $60. The 2-megapixel camera, 32MB of internal storage, and 16MB of RAM carry over from the initial versions of the phone. Presumably, the new network won’t have much of an effect on the 3310’s stellar battery life, given its lack of always-on networking and smart functions.
The Nokia 3310 (2017) is a new device, but it is still a feature phone. It does include an Opera browser, but it does not boast a robust third-party app store. What is on offer for download mostly consists of basic utilities and a small selection of games. You won’t be able to use the new 4G LTE speeds on this version to chat with friends on WeChat or check out what your loved ones are up to on Facebook, less you access it via a browser. The phone runs a highly customized Java-based OS, so you may be able to sideload old J2ME apps and games on it through its microSD card slot, but it’s mostly made as an appeal to nostalgia, so even on a faster network, smartphone-like functionality is not to be expected, though that is obviously the whole point of buying a feature phone in this day and age.
